Painting techniques - Chiaroscuro - Web Art Academy | Web Art Academy Web Art Academy Web Art Academy » Painting techniques – Chiaroscuro Painting techniques – Chiaroscuro On 3 Feb, 2011 With 0 Comments Painting techniques – Chiaroscuro The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio Chiaroscuro ( Italian: “light-dark”) in art is characterized by strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for using contrasts of light to achieve a sense of volume in modeling three-dimensional objects such as the human body. Further specialized uses include chiaroscuro woodcut, for coloured woodcuts printed with different blocks, each using a different coloured ink; and chiaroscuro drawing for drawings on coloured paper with drawing in a dark medium and white highlighting. Similar effects in the lighting of cinema and photography are also chiaroscuro. Origin in the chiaroscuro drawing Chiaroscuro originated during the Renaissance as drawing on coloured paper, where the artist worked from this base tone towards light, with white gouache, and dark, with ink, bodycolour or watercolour.

These in turn drew on traditions in illuminated manuscripts, going back to late Roman Imperial manuscripts on purple-dyed vellum. Chiaroscuro woodcuts began as imitations of this technique. When discussing Italian art, the term is sometimes used to mean painted images in monochrome or two colours, more generally known in English by the French equivalent, grisaille. The term early broadened in meaning to cover all strong contrasts in illumination between light and dark areas in art, which is now the primary meaning. Chiaroscuro modelling La Fornarina by Raphael The more technical use of the term chiaroscuro is the effect of light modelling in painting, drawing or printmaking, where three-dimensional volume is suggested by the value gradation of colour and the analytical division of light and shadow shapes – often called “shading”. The invention of these effects in the West, “skiagraphia” or “shadow-painting” to the Ancient Greeks, was traditionally ascribed to the famous Athenian painter of the 5th century BC, Apollodoros.

Although virtually no Ancient Greek painting survives, their understanding of the effect of light modelling can still be seen in the late 4th century BC mosaics of Pella, Macedonia, in particular the Deer Hunt, in the House of the Abduction of Helen, inscribed gnosis epoesen, or ‘knowledge did it’. They also survived in rather crude standardized form in Byzantine art and were refined again in the Middle Ages to become standard by the early fifteenth-century in painting and manuscript illumination in Italy and Flanders, and then spread to all Western art. The Raphael painting illustrated, with light coming from the left, demonstrates both delicate modelling chiaroscuro to give volume to the body of the model, and also strong chiaroscuro in the more common sense in the contrast between the well-lit model and the very dark background of foliage. However, to further complicate matters, the compositional chiaroscuro of the contrast between model and background would probably not be described using this term, as the two elements are almost completely separated.

The term is mostly used to describe compositions where at least some principal elements of the main composition show the transition between light and dark, as in the Baglioni and Geertgen tot Sint Jans paintings illustrated above and below. Chiaroscuro modelling is now taken for granted, but had some opponents; the English portrait miniaturist Nicholas Hilliard cautioned in his treatise on painting against all but the minimal use we see in his works, reflecting the views of his patron Queen Elizabeth I of England:”seeing that best to show oneself needeth no shadow of place but rather the open light…Her Majesty..chose her place to sit for that purpose in the open alley of a goodly garden, where no tree was near, nor any shadow at all…” In drawings and prints hatching, or shading by parallel lines, is often used to achieve modelling chiaroscuro. Washes, stipple or dotting effects, and “surface tone” in printmaking are other techniques. Compositional chiaroscuro to Caravaggio Manuscript illumination was, as in many areas, especially experimental in attempting ambitious lighting effects, as the results were not for public display.

The development of compositional chiaroscuro received a considerable impetus in Northern Europe from the vision of the Nativity of Jesus of Saint Bridget of Sweden, a very popular mystic. She described the infant Jesus as emitting light himself; depictions increasingly reduced other light sources in the scene to emphasize this effect, and the Nativity remained very commonly treated with chiaroscuro through to the Baroque. Hugo van der Goes and his followers painted many scenes lit only by candle, or the divine light from the infant Christ. As with some later painters, in their hands the effect was of stillness and calm rather than the drama of the Baroque. Strong chiaroscuro became a popular effect during the sixteenth century, in Mannerism and in Baroque art. Divine light continued to illuminate, often rather inadequately, the compositions of Tintoretto, Veronese and their many followers. Dark subjects dramatically lit by a shaft of light from a single constricted and often unseen source was a compositional device developed by Ugo da Carpi (c. 1455-c.

1523), Giovanni Baglione (1566–1643) and Caravaggio (1573–1610), the last of whom was crucial in developing the style of tenebrism, where dramatic chiaroscuro becomes a dominant stylistic device. Nativity at Night by Geertgen tot Sint Jans 17th and 18th centuries Tenebrism was especially practiced in Spain and the Spanish-ruled Kingdom of Naples, by Jusepe de Ribera and his followers. Adam Elsheimer (1578–1610), a German artist living in Rome, produced several night scenes lit mainly by fire, and sometimes moonlight. Unlike Caravaggio, his dark areas contain very subtle detail and interest. The influences of Caravaggio and Elsheimer were strong on Peter Paul Rubens, who exploited their respective approaches to tenebrosity for dramatic effect in paintings such as The Raising of the Cross (1610–1611).

A particular genre that developed was the nocturnal scene lit by candlelight, which looked back to earlier northern artists like Geertgen tot Sint Jans and more immediately to the innovations of Caravaggio and Elsheimer. This theme played out with many artists from the Low Countries in the first few decades of the 17th century, where it became associated with the Utrecht Caravaggisti like Gerrit van Honthorst and Dirck van Baburen, and with Flemish Baroque painters such as Jacob Jordaens. Rembrandt’s early works from the 1620s also adopted the single-candle light source. The nocturnal candle-lit scene re-emerged in the Dutch Republic in the mid 17th century on a smaller scale in the works of fijnschilders such as Gerrit Dou and Gottfried Schalken. Gerard_van_Honthorst Rembrandt’s own interest in effects of darkness shifted in his mature works. He relied less on the sharp contrasts of light and dark that marked the Italian influences of the earlier generation, a factor found in his mid-17th century etchings.

In that medium he shared many similarities with his contemporary in Italy, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, whose work in printmaking led him to invent the monotype. Outside the Low Countries, artists such as Georges de La Tour and Trophime Bigot in France and Joseph Wright of Derby in England, carried on with such strong, but graduated, candlelight chiaroscuro. Watteau used a gentle chiaroscuro in the leafy backgrounds of his fêtes galantes, and this was continued in pictures by many French artists, notably Fragonard. At the end of the century Fuseli and others used a heavier chiaroscuro for romantic effect, as did Delacroix and others in the nineteenth century. Usage of the term An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, by Joseph Wright, National Gallery, London The French use of the term, clair-obscur, was introduced by the seventeenth century art-critic Roger de Piles in the course of a famous argument (Débat sur le coloris) on the relative merits of drawing and colour in painting (his Dialogues sur le coloris, 1673 was a key contribution to the Débat).

In English, the Italian term has been used since at least the late 17th century. The term is less often used of art after the late nineteenth century, although the Expressionist and other modern movements make great use of the effect. Especially since the strong 20th century rise in the reputation of Caravaggio, in non-specialist use the term is mainly used for strong chiaroscuro effects such as his, or Rembrandt’s. As the Tate puts it: “Chiaroscuro is generally only remarked upon when it is a particularly prominent feature of the work, usually when the artist is using extreme contrasts of light and shade.” Photography and cinema have also adopted the term. Classical voice instructors describe the optimal balance of clearness and darkness in the singing voice tone as chiaroscuro: a combination of brightness and “ping” (brilliance and resonance) with warmth and depth i.e. the ‘dark’ colours (natural or manufactured) of the individual timbre. This technique is one of the main arsenals of dramatic singers especially useful in verismo operas e.g.

Tosca, Pagliacci, and Cavalleria rusticana, where it can be used to great effect in recitatives and declamatory passages; it also allows more lyric voices to safely survive the strain of bread-and-butter lyrico-spinto roles such as Mario (Tosca). Famous examples include Zinka Milanov, Maria Callas, Leontyne Price, Anna Moffo, Carlo Bergonzi, Franco Corelli and Renata Scotto. Chiaroscuro was also the name of a rat in the award winning book, The Tale of Desperaux by Kate Dicamillo, which also had many light-dark references. Oil painting technique * Chiaroscuro (Fine arts) - Definition,meaning - Online Encyclopedia Chiaroscuro This is an Italian term which literally means 'light-dark'. In painting s the description refers to clear tonal contrasts which are often used to suggest the volume and modelling of the subjects depicted. Chiaroscuro The term originated as a name for a type of Renaissance drawing on coloured paper, where the artist worked from this base tone towards light, with white gouache , and dark, with ink, bodycolour or watercolour .

Chiaroscuro is an Italian term which translates as light-dark, and refers to the balance and pattern of light and shade in a painting or drawing 1 of 3 ... Leonardo da Vinci’s Chiaroscuro Even in an era of boundless scientific discovery and technological invention, and of sublime artistic and humanistic achievement, ... HumanitiesWeb.org - Glossary definition: Chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro The dramatic use of light and shadow to create a mood or a focal point in a painting . Chiaroscuro Italian for 'lightdark', chiaroscuro is defined as a bold contrast between both light and dark. A certain amount of chiaroscuro has the effect of light modeling in painting , where three-dimensional volume is suggested by highlight s and shadow. chiaroscuro - The term chiaroscuro refers to the fine art painting modeling effect of using a strong contrast between light and dark to give the illusion of depth or three-dimensional ity. Chiaroscuro - In drawing, painting , and the graphic arts , chiaroscuro (ke-ï¿½ra-skooro) concerns the rendering of forms through a balanced contrast between light and dark areas. Chiaroscuro.

An Italian word meaning "light dark," and referring to the use of gradations of light and shade to create three-dimensional forms in a two-dimensional format. Complementary Colors . Two colors or hues that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel . Chiaroscuro The dramatic use of light and shadow to create a mood or a focal point in a painting . Collage A grouping of different textured materials or objects on a generally flat surface. chiaroscuro A term (Italian: "light" and "dark") referring to the modeling of mass by carefully arranging the tones from dark to light creating a dramatic three-dimensional realism . Originally, chiaroscuro referred to works on paper during the Italian Renaissance . classical ... Chiaroscuro - going from dark to light. Cross hatching - more than one set of close parallel lines that crisscross each other at angles, to modeland indicate tone. Chroma - the relative intensity or purity of a hue when compared to grayness or lack of hue. Chiaroscuro The literal translation of this Italian term is light&shy;dark but the term has come to mean the skilful exploitation of light and shadow within an oil painting .

Rembrandt and Caravaggio are the artists particularly associated with the use of chiaroscuro. Chiaroscuro A word borrowed from Italian ("light" and "dark") referring to the modeling of volume and depth by depicting light and shade by contrasting them boldly Chiaroscuro: Literally light and dark, shading. A form of expression favoured by Rembrandt and his school . Classical : Established ideals of perfection. Coat: A layer of paint. Chiaroscuro Italian for "light-dark", the gradations of light and dark values in two-dimensional imagery creating an illusion of rounded, three-dimensional form; highly developed by Renaissance painters; The effect of light and shade in a painting or drawing, ... CHIAROSCURO the use of light and shadow to create a focal point or mood. CLASSICAL originating in Greece and Rome; represents unadorned beauty . CLAY a moist earth of decomposed rock; used in products such as pottery, bricks, tiles, and sculpture . chiaroscuro: using the contrast and transitioning of light and dark areas to create the illusion of three-dimensional form on a two-dimensional surface.

CHIAROSCURO Term is used to describe the effect of light and shade in a painting or drawing, especially where strong tonal contrasts are used. Return to top CROSS HATCHING ... Chiaroscuro: 1) The rendering of light and shade in painting ; the subtle gradations and marked variations of light and shade for dramatic effect. 2) The style of painting light within deep shadows. Carrivagio and Rembrandt are considered masters of chiaroscuro. chiaroscuro - (pronounced kyar-oh-scoor-oh) - Italian term for light and dark, referring to the modeling of form by the use of light and shade. Chiaroscuro- An Italian word designating the contrast of dark and light in a painting , drawing, or print. Chiaroscuro creates spatial depth and volumetric ((rendering the impression of three dimensional volumes) forms through graduations in the intensity of light and shadow. chiaroscuro The contrast of light and dark in a painting , used for dramatic effect. chinoiserie A European decorating style using Chinese and other "oriental" ornamentation, most fashionable in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Chiaroscuro: Bronzino used this technique to bring attention to the light-colored figures in the painting so they stood out from the dark background. Allegories: Bronzino's allegory painting s heavily used symbolism and, like many of his religious works, made use of the naked human form. chiaroscuro: The use of graduation of light and dark to describe forms in drawing and painting . CHIAROSCURO - Literally, 'light-dark.' The dramatic use of light and shade to create a mood or definition without obvious line. CHINE COLLï¿½ - Small pieces of paper that are glued to a print in the printing process; added as visual embellishments. examples ... chiaroscuro chiastic - Principally a literary formation, characterized by an inversion of the order of words in two otherwise corresponding parallel phrases, as in the example: "She gave to the poor, to the poor gave she." (pr. ki:-ASS-tÉk) ... Chiaroscuro In Italian, CHIARO literally means light and OSCURO means dark.

Chiaroscuro, therefore, is the use of light and shade in a drawing or painting , particularly works in which the light and dark contrasts are very pronounced. CHIAROSCURO: COLLAGE : ... Chiaroscuro An Italian word that means light (chiaro) and dark (scuro), it is used to describe artwork that has a pronounced balance and contrast between light and dark. The technique dates to Italian Renaissance methods of creating spatial and depth illusions around figures in a composition . Also see chiaroscuro, gradated wash, gray scale, infrared reflectography (IR) and reflectogram, metamorphosis , modeling , and shading. gradina - Italian for a claw chisel. Old Master Chiaroscuro Technique for Portrait s The Grand Canyon North Rim ... Art Glossary: Chiaroscuro More on Painting ... Chiaroscuro The treatment of the light and dark parts of a painting . Chiaroscuro Woodcut A print in colors from two or more blocks which provide the overall background tone for the composition while unprinted areas of white paper act as highlight s.

Chiaroscuro - Chiaroscuro applies to the brightnes and darkness in painting s when tone rather than colour is the dominant characteristic ...more info Clay - Clay is the most widely used modelling material in sculpture and has universally been available since the beginning of time ... calligraphy is beautiful personal handwriting; the term calligraphic is also applied to drawing or painting which contains brushstrokes reminiscent of calligraphy Cartoon a planning device in mural painting , often a full-scale line drawing of the design, without color and tone Chiaroscuro ... Chiaroscuro (the balance of light and dark was for the first time shown within a picture by using shadows rather than blocky outline s). Balanced composition s. The arrangement of things like lines, colors and form were seemingly "correct". After the painter sets the lines down on the paper, he uses watercolor wash techniques to achieve a chiaroscuro effect of light and dark, representing the forces of "yin" and "yang", to express his grasp of the eternal quintessential nature of his subject. Chiaroscuro: From the Italian for light and dark. In painting , a method of modeling form primarily by the use of light and shade.

Cire-Perdu Process: The lost- wax process of casting . A method in which an original is modeled in wax and covered in clay. Contrasting with the Baroque and the Rococo , Neo- classical painting s are devoid of pastel colors and haziness; instead, they have sharp colors with Chiaroscuro. Tendency to follow the style of Caravaggio, exhibited by the Caravaggisti (17th-century painters working in Rome), who made particularly dramatic use of chiaroscuro. Caricature Painting or drawing, usually a portrait , that exaggerates features for humorous or satirical effect. The composition was significant for its grouping of figures, their expressive gesture s and its chiaroscuro effect (also a characteristic of the unfinished St Jerome). During 1483 L. worked on the painting the Virgin of the Rocks; the version at the Louvre is considered to be ... CHIAROSCURO a method of using darks and lights to create an illusion of naturalistic depth . DRY BRUSH literally the application of paint using an "almost" dry brush. The paint is applied in a thin manner. FUGITIVE ... Chiaroscuro woodcut s are printed in various tones of one color.

And for this reason cannot be classed as true color. prints. A more unusual method of color. Baroque painting often dramatizes scenes using chiaroscuro light effects; this can be seen in works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Le Nain and La Tour. The Flemish painter Antony Van Dyck developed a graceful but imposing portrait syle that was very influential, especially in England. The various aspects of the scene are "built up" from the base with very delicate, paper-thin layers of paint in chiaroscuro (the balance of light and shadow) relief . Italian influence was largely rejected in favor of Mannerist formulas and a severe and noble style which used chiaroscuro not for the sake of a theatrical aestheticism , but to create a more urgent sense of drama. Francesco was charged with some pictures in chiaroscuro, which were placed on the Arch of San Marco, and which were the best in the decorations. Classical line ar and aerial perspective , uninterrupted surface transitions and chiaroscuro were pushed aside. What remained was a series of images obtained by the observer (the artist) in different frames of reference as the object was being painted.

Key Descriptive Words and Phrases associated with the Renaissance Movement - rebirth, rediscovery of the classical world, publication of Della Pittura, a book about the laws of mathematical perspective for artists, sfumato , chiaroscuro, Savonarola, spiritually significant, axonometric drawing, ... "The artist's especially adroit manipulation of chiaroscuro as pertains to fur is a cri de coeur for the viewer to consider the artist's feline subjects objective ly, rather than subjective ly viewing them as objects." Translation: ... " In Delacroix's words, "all the great problems of art were resolved in the 16th century"; perfection "in drawing, grace and composition " had been attained by Raphael, and in "colour and chiaroscuro" by Correggio, Titian, and Paolo Veronese. A very prominent characteristic of his work was the use of chiaroscuro, the theatrical integration of shadow and light derived from Caravaggio but was used for personal means.

The Cubist style emphasized the flat, two-dimensional surface of the picture plane , rejecting the traditional techniques of perspective , foreshortening , modeling , and chiaroscuro and refuting time-honoured theories of art as the imitation of nature. One of the most talented Mannerist painters, Correggio left behind few details about his life, including how he learned to paint. Art history serves as a record of his many technical achievements in painting , including the foregoing techniques, chiaroscuro, ...

What is chiaroscuro - Sesli Sözlük A monochrome picture made by using several different shades of the same color An artistic technique developed during the Renaissance, referring to the use of exaggerated light contrasts in order to create the illusion of volume A photographic technique in which one side of a face (for example) is well lit and the other is in shadow; Rembrandt lighting The term refers to the handling of light and shade in a picture > Italian for light-dark This is a dramatic effect achieved by the strong contrast of light and shade The use of light and dark values to imply depth and volume in a two-dimensional work of art The rendering of light and shade in painting; the subtle gradations and variations of light and shade for dramatic effect The art or practice of so arranging the light and dark parts as to produce a harmonious effect The arrangement of light and dark parts in a work of art, such as a drawing or painting, whether in monochrome or in color {i} artistic use of light and shade to create dramatic effect (in a picture or painting) In painting, the use of strong contrasts between light and dark In two-dimensional composition, the description of a form by modeling with value changes, i e , form readable through light and dark contrasts In

 drawing, the rendering of forms through a balanced contrast between pronounced light and dark areas In painting, the modelling of form (the creation of a sense of three-dimensionality in objects) through the use of light and shade The introduction of oil paints in the 15th century, replacing tempera, encouraged the development of chiaroscuro, for oil paint allowed a far greater range and control of tone The term chiaroscuro is used in particular for the dramatic contrasts of light and dark introduced by Caravaggio When the contrast of light and dark is strong, chiaroscuro becomes an important element of composition Chiaroscuro is the use of light and shade in a picture, or the effect produced by light and shade in a place.

the natural chiaroscuro of the place. (Italian; "light-dark") Contrasting effects of light and shade in a work of art. Leonardo da Vinci brought the technique to its full potential, but it is usually associated with such 17th-century artists as Caravaggio and Rembrandt, who used it to outstanding effect. The chiaroscuro woodcut, produced by printing different tones of a colour from separate woodblocks on a single sheet of paper, was first produced in 16th-century Italy Chiaroscuro in Painting: The Power of Light and Dark We are an online artist community sharing ways to create and sell art. Join us to save big on art supplies or try our easy websites for artists . Chiaroscuro in Painting: The Power of Light and Dark ‹ Previous article by date Chiaroscuro is an art term that’s used quite frequently, but sometimes without an understanding of exactly what it means. This article will cover the more important aspects of Chiaroscuro, primarily as it relates to painting.

The word Chiaroscuro itself is Italian, and roughly means, “light and dark.” It was first used to describe a type of drawing on medium-dark paper where the artist created both darker areas with ink and lighter areas with white paint. Later on the term was used for woodcut prints which essentially did the same thing, using white and black together. When it comes to painting, however, Chiaroscuro truly came to life in the paintings of Caravaggio during the late 16th century. Caravaggio began to use deep, dark backgrounds for many of his paintings, and seemed to almost turn a spotlight on his figures. The high contrast in those paintings made for intensely powerful and dramatic works of art. Because of Caravaggio, Chiaroscuro became very popular, and today the word is most often used to mean “high contrast” more than anything else. Sometimes the source of the intense illumination in a painting (whether by Caravaggio or other artists) was actually IN the painting—you can see examples in religious works, where an angel or other holy figure actually illuminates the entire scene. Other times the light source is simply a candle, or a fire.

All of these situations offered artists a chance to explore silhouettes and other extremes, and obviously made the emphasis on light and shadow more important than the scene itself on many occasions. For painters today, dramatic lighting is a tool to be used intentionally, with care. When the focus of a painting is upon the form of objects, or the shape of a figure, then Chiaroscuro can be exceedingly helpful. Strong directional light will lift out details and features, and give a true three-dimensional appearance. But not every painting will benefit. Chiaroscuro can be too harsh in portraits, too unnatural (how often are things actually lit by a spotlight?), or just too dramatic for what you’re trying to portray. Rembrandt knew the value of Chiaroscuro’s direct lighting (in order to display the features of a face) but he softened edges and lessened the contrast of “true” Chiaroscuro to lend a calmness to his paintings as well. So the next time you see an example of Chiaroscuro, think about how it’s being used—does the high contrast help or hurt the overall message of the painting?

★Help share this post Glossary of Oil Painting terms & oil painting techniques Glossary for Oil Painting terms – The essential guide for beginners by Will Kemp I was standing at the front of a queue in a packed art shop in London. There were 15+ people crammed in behind me and I felt more embarrassed than I could remember. I had been a researching new art materials and product releases, I’d spotted something new out and I was convinced the store stocked it. After waiting for what seemed like days, I was at the end of the queue and overconfidently asked “Umm…do you stock alkalid paint?” It seemed like the shop suddenly fell silent… Then the owner stepped in and said, “Alka- what? Sorry, we don’t stock that” Me: “You know, the quick drying oil paint.” Owner: “Oh Alkyd (Pronounced al-kid) we have that in stock.” My cheeks started burning. Honestly, if you’ve ever been corrected in front of an audience, you know how terrible it feels. Even now, when I work with Alkyd paints, a little piece inside of me is physically wincing.

Now it seems trivial, but at the time I felt mortified. One little word or turn of phrase out can make a big difference. An Italian Tale So this is a practical guide to understanding oil painting terms, products, and more importantly pronunciation! Many oil painting terms stem from Latin roots so mispronunciations (especially with me) are commonplace. When I was studying in Italy, Vanessa was trying to order a liqueur after we’d had a fantastic meal in the Tuscan hills. After a prolonged exchange with the waiter, he asked should he call an Ambulance? What was wrong? What had she asked him? He kept saying “There was something wrong with her heart?” We were confused, all we wanted was a drink! The offending pronunciation was a simple misunderstanding. Liquore (Pronounced: lee/KWOH/reh) – liqueur Cuore (Pronounced: KWOH / reh) – heart We never did get that drink, but hopefully this guide will help you feel confident when choosing materials and talking about the techniques.

Glossary of Oil painting terms Alkyd mediums – (Pronounced: al-kid) an alkyd is a synthetic resin that can be added to oil paint to speed up the drying time of the paints. You can buy an alkyd-based medium that you can mix in with your oils, the most commonly available is Liquin by Winsor & Newton, Gamblin also produces an alkyd medium called Galkyd. Alkyd Paints – these paints are commonly known as fast drying oil colour and can be handy if you work quick or have a tight deadline for a client! Different brands have different names e.g: Winsor & Newton have Griffin Alkyd. Pro tip: Alkyd oil paints have been developed more for the hobby market so the quality of the pigments used can often be less intense that standard artist quality paints. Gamblin have produced a lovely paint called ‘fast matte.’ It is both fast drying, artist quality and dries with a matte finish. This is very handy if you are going to paint on top with standard oils because the matte surface gives you a ‘grab’ for the paint to form a strong bond.

(nerd alert – the Alkyd is called a resin because it dries by solvent evaporation, rather than oxidation (exposure to air) like an oil. Alla Prima – (Pronounced: ah-luh pree-ma) this is an Italian phrase that describes a painting created entirely in one sitting, it translates as ‘at the first’. Usually, there isn’t any underpainting to the piece and is created in one go. ASTM – a labelling on paint tubes that is an International Standard for testing and material qualities. Binder – the substance mixed with the dry pigment which holds together (binds) the pigment colour and helps the paint to stick to the support. For oil paint, the binder is usually cold-pressed Linseed oil. (For egg tempera painting, the binder is egg, yes, egg!) Bloom – a dull, progressively opaque, white effect that can appear on varnished surfaces if the paintings are kept in damp conditions. Brushwork – this describes the characteristic way that each artists paints. It is like your personal signature to your painting. Chiaroscuro – (Pronounced: key-ARE-oh-SCURE-oh) an Italian word literally meaning “light dark”.

Most usually used to describe a painting created with strong contrasts, such as Caravaggio. Joseph Wright of Derby, An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, Oil on Canvas, 1768 Cold pressed linseed oil – oil often used in the grinding process of oil paints, the oil is extracted from Flaxseed, without the use of heat. The process takes longer than extracting using heat but is a purer oil. Colour Field Painting – a style of painting prominent from the 1950’s through the 1970’s, featuring large “fields” or areas of oil colour, meant to evoke an aesthetic or emotional response through the colour alone. Copal – this is a natural resin, used in making varnishes and painting mediums. Couche – a thin layer of medium or oil that you can paint thin glazes into whilst the medium is still wet, commonly called ‘laying down a couche’ Craquelure – (Pronounced: krak-loo r) this is the term used to describe the tiny cracks and fine lines covering the surface of old oil paintings. They are caused by the shrinking and movement of the ground and the oil paint surface.

Crazing – very fine surface cracks or lines that appear on the surface of a varnish film due to unequal drying times. Dammar – a natural resin, used in making mediums and varnishes. Dammar can also be spelt Damar. Dead colouring – a term used to describe the under-painting of a painting, when using a lean oil paint mix. The mix is usually diluted with turpentine or OMS which evaporates quickly leaving a matte appearance. It allows you to quickly establish the tonal values using a thin application. Drier – a material that speeds up the drying time of the oil paint. Traditionally, driers were cobalt driers, but now they are often Alkyd resin dryers. Dry Brush – an effect when you have very little moisture on your brush to apply the paint. When you use a dry brush you need more of a scrubbing motion and it leaves a broken colour effect. Drying time – how long the paints take to dry. Different oil paints contain different quantities of oil binder, depending on how easily the raw ingredients ‘mix in’ with the oil. So some paints are fast dryers (such as Burnt umber) and others are slow drying (Ivory black).

Drying oils: oils such as Linseed oil, Walnut oil and Poppy oil that have the chemical properties of creating a solid, elastic surface when exposed to air (oxidization). Non-drying oils – unsuitable for oil painting are Olive oil and Almond oil. Egg tempera painting – egg (either whole, yolk or white) can be used as a pigment binder. Tempera painting was very popular until the late fifteenth century. Antony Williams, Antonia, Egg Tempera, 2001 Fat – this describes the oil content in paints, for example, Burnt umber has a ‘low fat’ oil content, so it is a fast drying oil paint because there is less oil in the paint mixture to oxidise and dry. Ivory black has a ‘high fat’ oil content so takes longer to dry. Fat over lean – means that each succeeding layer of paint should have more ‘fat – oil’ than the preceding layer. If you are painting in an indirect method (working in layers rather than all in one go – alla prima) you need to adhere to this rule to prevent cracking. Film – a fine layer of paint or varnish that has hardened.

Too little binder in the paint can cause a ‘weak paint film’. Flat colour – paint applied in a solid, flat colour, like the paint on your wall at home. Fugitive pigment – a phrase used to describe a pigment’s impermanence and tendency to fade or change colour under the influence of natural effects such as sunlight, heat, water, etc. Reynolds famously has many portraits that have lost the skin tones because he used Alizarin crimson which was a fugitive pigment, however, modern Permanent Alizarin crimson has a permanence A. AA – Extremely Permanent B – Moderately Durable C – Fugitive Note: this should not be confused with Lightfastness which is how the pigment is affected by light alone, although often they tend to cross over.

Joshua Reynolds, Portrait of Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Bellamont (1738-1800), in Robes of the Order of the Bath, 1773-1774 In this painting the face is strongly painted with vermillion red, the fugitive carmine used for the robes has now turned to pink Gallery Tone – the yellowish colour of old paintings usually caused by the ageing of natural resins used in a painting or varnish. Gesso – traditional oil gesso is a mixture of glue (usually rabbit skin) water, and chalk (calcium carbonate) used to create a flexible, yet absorbent surface for the oil paint to be applied onto. Glass Muller – a glass muller is needed when grinding paint by hand and to coat the dry pigment in medium. The base of the muller has been sandblasted to form a slight roughness and is usually slightly curved. The surface you grind on to, usually glass also, can often be slightly textured to help with the grinding process. Gloss – the appearance in sheen of the paint or varnish. For example, Alizarin crimson has a glossy surface when dry.

Glazes – the term used for a thin, transparent layer of paint. Glazes are used on top of one another to build up depth and modify colors in a painting. A glaze must be completely dry before another is applied on top. Traditionally glazes were used on top of a black and white under-painting called a Grisaille, thin layers of colours were then applied once the initial form had been established. The best paints to use for glazes are pigments that have a translucent quality. Grinding colours – a process of grinding dry pigment with a binder, usually mixed initially with a palette knife and then mulled down to a thinner, smoother consistency with a glass muller or marble slab. Grisaille – (Pronounced: griz-zai) a monochromatic oil painting which is often used in underpaintings or as a black & white painting technique. Ground – a thin layer of paint, applied to a support to make it ready for painting, can be white but I prefer to use a coloured ground. Half paste – a semi-translucent coat of paint that allows the dry underpainting to appear as if through a mist. Sometimes called a Velatura.

Hue – labelling on a paint tube that denotes a combination of less expensive pigments that closely imitates the mass tone of a more expensive pigment, not to be confused with Hue when describing colours, as in the perceived colour of an object, the lemon has a yellow hue. Impasto – the texture created in a paint surface by the movement of the brush. Impasto usually implies thick, heavy brushwork, but the term also refers to the crisp, delicate textures found in smoother paint surfaces. Imprimatura – (Pronounced: im-pree-muh-tur-uh) an initial stain of oil colour painted on a white ground which provides you with a transparent toned ground. It is similar to a coloured ground but more transparent. It comes from the Italian for ‘first paint layer’. Often, the initial stain of colour painted on a ground is left visible in areas of the finished painting. Rubens, Singer Sargent & Anders Zorn used this technique in their paintings. Inpainting – this is a painting technique commonly used by conservators to unify a painting that has suffered paint loss and refers to paint applied over damaged areas only.

Laying out – refers to either ‘laying out your colours’ on to palette (setting the paint out) or, laying out your composition, which was traditionally done with cut out drawings on paper. Lean – a term used to describe the low oil content in paints and mediums. Thinning with solvent results in a lower oil content to the paint mix, therefore a leaner mix. Lean paint – a paint layer or paint that has a reduced oil (fat) content. Lightfastness – lightfastness is the chemical stability of the pigment under long exposure to light. Artist quality paints are often rated according to the Blue Wool Scale (U.K) or American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Lightfastness is especially important in painting because the length of time a pigment retains its original colour saturation and value determines the life expectancy of the work of art. Note: this should not be confused with Permanence which refers to the chemical stability of the pigment in relation to any chemical or environmental factor, including light, heat, water, acids, alkalis, or mold. For example, the pigment Ultramarine blue is extremely lightfast, but it will fade if brushed with a dilute acid.

LIGHTFASTNESS KEY: II – Very good lightfastness III – Fair lightfastness Lining – a conservation term for placing a new canvas on the back of a deteriorating original oil painting. Litharge – a powdered form of lead used in making black oil (used as a basis for various Old Master mediums) Mahl stick – (Pronounced: mar-hl) a wooden stick used to lean on when painting fine details. It has a long handle with a pad at one end, you rest this end on a dry area of the canvas to help steady your painting arm when painting a detailed, controlled part. You can simply make your own by tightly wrapping a cotton wool in a ball around the end of a length of wooden dowel. Cover the cotton wool with a piece of fabric or chamois and you will be Old Master a go-go! Mass Tone – the undiluted colour of a pigment or paint when it’s in a large blob. Also known as mass colour. Medium – the mixture that you add to your paint to dilute it, or to change consistency, drying time & working properties. Monochrome – a painting created in a range of tints and tones of a single colour.

Natural varnish: tree resins (Mastic and Dammar), fossil resins (Copal and Amber), and insect resin secretions (Shellac). Oiling out – this is where you paint a very thin coat of medium over the painting to bring the colours back to how they looked when you first painted them. Depending on the absorbency of your canvas, the oil can soak into the canvas leaving the paint looking dull. This is called ‘sinking- in’. Oiling out can be used to blend wet layers into the layer below but is often best used when you’ve had a bit of practice with oils. It is most notable in dark areas of painting, and oiling out enables you to judge the colours as they were when you first painted them. I don’t usually recommend it for absolute beginners as you can get into a mess quite quickly and it can create issues with fat-over-lean principles. However, for more advanced painters, especially realist painters, it can be an invaluable technique to use. Paint body – description of the paints consistency, a thicker paint is describes as having “a lot of body”. Just the same as Golden paints describe their thicker acrylics as ‘heavy body’.

Painting Knives – similar to Palette knives, but used more for applying paint directly to the canvas rather than mixing colours. See: Beginners Palette knife video tutorial Plein air – (Pronounced: plen-air) a painting created outside rather than in a studio. The term comes from the French ‘en plein air’ meaning ‘in the open air’. Pigment – pigment is the substance or powder that makes up the color of a paint. Pigments are either organic (carbon-based) or inorganic (mineral based). Priming – the application of sizes and/or grounds to a support to prepare the painting’s surface , modify its absorbency, texture and colour, before you start painting. Refined Linseed Oil – made from the seeds of the flax plant. It adds gloss and transparency to paints and is available in several forms. It dries very thoroughly, making it ideal for underpainting and initial layers in a painting. Refined linseed oil is a popular, all-purpose, pale to light yellow oil which dries within three to five days. Retouching – the work done by a restorer to replace areas of loss or damage in a painting.

Scumble – very thin layer of opaque or semi-opaque paint that partially hides the under-layer. Scumbling is the painting technique where a thin or broken layer of color is brushed over another so that patches of the color beneath show through. It can be done with a dry brush, or by removing bits of paint with a cloth. Sfumato – (Pronounced: sfoo-mah-toe) from the Italian word for “smoke.” Sfumato is a technique of painting in thin glazes to achieve a hazy, cloudy atmosphere, often to represent objects or landscape meant to be perceived as distant from the picture plane. Sight-size – a painting technique where the key idea is that your eye needs to be able to see both the canvas and the subject in one glance, so they both appear the same size. This makes it easier to flick your eyes between the subject and your painting for judging shape, proportions and colours. The artists viewing position is roughly 6 – 12 feet away from the setup, so you step forward to make a mark and then step back to observe your painting again. This results in a more painterly, naturalistic finish.

Sight size set up for cast drawing Sinking in – this happens when the paint medium is absorbed by the underlying layer of paint, this could be due to an too absorbent or unevenly applied absorbent ground. The resulting appearance is a visually inconsistent surface, some parts shiny, some parts matte. Size – a glue applied to fabric (canvas) or paper before priming to seal and protect it from the corrosive oil in the ground and paint. It’s also used to seal wood panels before painting. Acrylic Size is available which is water based, odorless, archival and comes premixed. Animal lovers avert your eyes!!! Traditionally artists used rabbit skin glue, be warned if you want to give this a go as we did at art college, it is very, very, smelly, as to apply it you have to warm it up. Support – the actual material or surface on which a painting is created, for example; paper, canvas, panel. Turpentine (spirits) – the traditional solvent or thinner for a drying oil (such as Linseed oil) distilled from the resin from certain trees, e.g the European larch, white fir, and American longleaf pine.

It is used to ‘cut through’ the oil in oil paints, however, due to this ability, it has a strong solvent smell so is best used in a well-ventilated area. Alternatively I would suggest using an Odorless Mineral Spirit such as Gamsol, a safe solvent that allows oil painters to use most traditional painting techniques without compromising on the vapors. Underpainting – the initial stage or first layer of an oil painting commonly executed using a monochrome or dead color as a base for the composition. Value – the lightness or darkness of a colour, rather than the actual colour. Varnish – a final layer that can be applied over a finished painting. A varnish protects a painting from environmental dirt and dust and is removable for cleaning and conservation purposes. Velatura – (Pronounced: vella-tora) essentially glazing with an opaque paint. A method of adjusting colours by applying semi-opaque or opaque layers of paint over an area of dry paint. Its a bit like a mix between a scumble and a glaze. Verdaccio – (Pronounced: ver-dar-cheo) an Italian name used to describe a muted earth green used for creating a complete monochromatic under-painting.

Often used as a nice base to apply warm, pinker tones on top for portraits. Yellowing – this effect on oil paintings is usually caused by one of three reasons: excessive use of linseed oil medium; applying any of the varnishes that are prone to yellow with age; or most often – an accumulation of dirt embedded into the varnish. Are there any oil terms you’re still unsure of? Add them to the comments below and I’ll include them in the list. You might also like: John December 4, 2012 Hi Will given you have put plein air in the mix I wonder if you could elucidate on “de tete” (spelling?) (french for ‘from the head/imagination’… I think??? I picked this term up reading about the conversations between Vincent and Gauguin at the yellow house. In general I prefer to paint from imagination, so I would like to be more confident employing this term. On the other hand, at the art shop last Friday I was talking about painting with the store keeper and when I mentioned my landscape focus he asked ” do you paint on location?

” When I replied “oh, plein air, ah no” he gave a wry, you’ve been reading too many art books, smile. Still, id like to on top of the term in meaning and pronunciation! but maybe only use it when wanting to sound knowledgeable to the kids ;) cheers John January 7, 2013 Mr Will… I was watching a tv doco on Da Vinci and his recently discovered painting last night and the presenter used what I thought was the word Sfumato to describe the smokiness of the face. Immediately thinking of your pursuit to achieve this result I flicked through the glossary and noted its definition there is to describe the ‘ smokey haze in the distance.’ Thus can the word sfumato also be applied generally to smokey effects such as in the face? There was an art history ‘fact’ that raised my eyebrows from the show and I realize from listening to curators at my national gallery that its worth double checking things to avoid art shop/crowd gaffes. Anyway, its great to have a glossary to peruse after watching such shows! Wendy July 14, 2013 Hi Will I have just subscribed to your excellent website info.

I was wondering if you have ever worked with water mixable oils and if so, what do you think of them? I started oil painting when I was younger and then didn’t paint for 30 years. I started again almost 3 years ago and chose water mixable oils to keep the toxin levels down as I have a grandchild with cystic fibrosis. I must say they have been quite a challenge and I am still trying to master them. They don’t run as well as the normal ones but I have persevered with them. I would appreciate your comments or advice. Thanks from Wendy in Perth, Western Australia Swapnil Pande November 19, 2014 Hi Will, I had taken your Self Portrait course in Oils. I did that whole course and couldn’t believe i can paint like this. Thanks for designing this amazing course. While i was going through the PDF, In the “What is Glazing” section, i couldn’t understand he statement “So, I then mix a thin consistency of paint using the blackest mix, to use as a glaze” Could you please elaborate this section please. What paint do you use for consistency? and what is blackest mix?

It will be really helpful if you can shed a little more light on it :) Thanks! Steph March 11, 2015 Thanks so much for posting this information. It’s really helpful. I’ve been painting with oils for a while, and accidentally spilled some orderless turpentine in my small work area. I started sneezing like crazy, and felt pretty gross. Afterward, I was looking into alternatives for turpentine, and found that some people use Walnut Oil, and Walnut Alkyd Oil Medium. I’m still a little confused about the difference between the two. Also, I also read that using them as a paint thinner makes your paintings glossy. Is this really the case? Thanks for your time.

Question: Which term, meaning 'light-dark' in Italian, is used to describe the use of strongly contrasting light and shade in a painting?
Answer: CHIAROSCURO